1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to bakeware and more specifically to a bread pan fabricated of a liquid-crystal polymer.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Bakeware, and specifically bread pans, are presently fabricated of a variety of materials. In the commercial baking industry, the bakeware is typically fabricated of sheet metal. Metal bakeware has several disadvantages. The pans require greasing or glazing before each baking cycle so that the bakery product will not adhere to the pan following baking. The forming operation can form envelope folds which are unsanitary and also the folds tend to retain trapped acid from the glazing operation. The metal pans remain hot upon removal from the oven and therefore cannot be easily handled and then are relatively heavy and therefore somewhat burdensome to handle. Metal pans are also typically difficult to clean because of the sharp corners created during the metal-forming operations.
Although bakeware has been fabricated of other materials, such pans also suffer disadvantages. For example, bakeware is sometimes fabricated of expensive but easily broken glass or ceramic material. These pans are therefore not suitable for the relatively rough handling in a commercial bakery environment, in which sets of pans may be dropped several feet onto concrete floors.
Cookware suitable for microwave ovens is often injection-molded of thermoplastic materials. However, such materials often have relatively low melting points and therefore are also unsuitable for use at conventional baking temperatures.